Patriots on Zeke: 'He’s Exciting!'
Newly-signed New England Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott is wearing a new jersey for the first time since his rookie year in 2016.
After seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Elliott, a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Pats on Monday. He's coming off a final season in Dallas that was arguably the worst of his career, especially when comparing it to the fact that he led the league in rushing in 2016 and 2018.
But the 28-year-old running back has apparently been showing early on at Patriots practice that last season's subpar performance won't be making a difference on his play this year. The coaching staff is already singing Zeke's praises just days after the Pats signed him.
"I think everybody's been pretty excited for Zeke to come in," Patriots running backs coach Vinnie Sunseri told reporters Friday. "Between the receivers, quarterbacks, and the defense, he's brought a little bit of excitement. He's brought a little bit of juice. He's exciting on the football field."
The timing of Sunseri's comments couldn't be better, as it comes after "Good Morning Football" analyst Kyle Brandt said that "there just hasn’t been a lot of juice" from Elliott in recent seasons.
Elliott scored a touchdown during the Patriots' joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Friday. Including postseason scores, he had 82 total touchdowns during his time as a Cowboy, so seeing this is nothing new.
However, despite finishing last season tied for the third-most rushing touchdowns (12) in the league, Elliott finished with career-low marks in carries (231) and rushing yards (876). Fewer rushing attempts would normally lead to a higher yards-per-carry average, but this was another career-low mark (3.8 yards) for Elliott.
Regardless, Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien is "happy to have him," while praising Elliott's intelligence.
"One thing you see right away is that he's smart," O'Brien said. "He's been in different systems, he understands football. Maybe they call it apples, we call it oranges, but it's still football, and he gets it. He picks up on it really quick. I do think he's a three-down back, and he's been a really good addition the last two days to our football team. We're really happy to have him."
It's currently unclear if Elliott will play in Saturday night's preseason game against the Packers at Lambeau Field. But if he does, he'll have tons of eyes on him.
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